Straight talk from the sisters about blood, sweat and ink
Earlier this year I wrote a post about Internal Conflict based on a character’s flaws, fears and morality. Like External Conflict, Internal Conflict can be numerous and varied. The only rule is it all must get in the way of the hero achieving his/her goal. If it doesn’t, you don’t have conflict, just baggage. And …
Continue reading “Prime Inner Conflict (aka Conflicting Wants)”
Today we’ve invited back one of our favorite fellow bloggers, Natacha Guyot. I met Natacha over a year ago and I just adore her upbeat attitude and can-do spirit. She publishes books in her native French and in English, and this year has created an impressive list of publications in fiction and nonfiction. More on …
Continue reading “Writing Archetypes: The Wise Woman”
It’s been soooo long since we had coffee! I’ve missed you! But alas, it is not possible to sit down and drink hot beverages out of pretty mugs in zero gravity. You see, Robin and I were on a space mission for the Blogging A to Z Challenge. Our theme: 3, 2, 1… BLASTOFF to Stellar …
Continue reading “Weekend Coffee Share – Back from Outer Space!”
Last month it occurred to me that a handful of basic opening scenarios crop up in a large number of stories. I’m not talking about those tropes we’ve all heard about (alarm clocks ringing, watching the sun rise, or waking up from a dream), but situations and specific types of events writers use to grab …
Continue reading “5 Common Story Openings Done Wrong”
Today on WriteOnSisters we have another edition of “Heather encounters a story problem and finds a way to solve it.” I’ve admitted before that my ideas come from situations not character, hence my posts about How To Choose A Main Character and Creating Character Arc From Plot, so it serves to reason that if I …
Continue reading “How To Create An Antagonist”
Mission Code Name: 3, 2, 1… BLASTOFF to Stellar Writing Security Clearance: Unclassified Mission Objectives: To meet new life forms and engage in shared and mutually beneficial discourse on a range of topics. Mission Status: Success! Co-Commander Rivera’s reflections report: While it is never easy to commit a month to a venture of any kind, …
Continue reading “2015 Blogging From A to Z Mission Debriefing”
This is our last Blogging A from Z post. The mission was a success and soon the space capsule will splash down. Crowds will cheer and confetti will litter the web. But before we blow the bolts on the hatch door and get some much-needed rest, let’s take a moment to reflect on everything we …
Continue reading “Z is for Zymurgy”
Heather and I both read and write young adult fiction, so we have a solid understanding of this market and what makes it tick. In the last decade, the popularity of YA has hit the stratosphere. Author megastars rise up from nowhere almost overnight. Big movie franchises and huge book deals are becoming normal events. …
Continue reading “Y is for Young Adult Fiction”
What does “x-ray” have to do with writing craft? I didn’t choose it just because I needed an “X” word for the #AtoZChallenge, or because I already used “x-rated” for last year’s post (X-Rated: Should YA Books Have a Rating System?), but because all writers need to be able to check the spine of their …
Continue reading “X is for X-Ray”
Being a writer can take a toll on us, physically, emotionally and mentally. When we get engrossed in writing, it’s easy to forget to look after ourselves. So I’ve come up with three things I am going to try to do every day to take better care of myself… 3 Tips for Writer Wellbeing Stretch. …
Continue reading “W is for Writer Wellbeing”